Police in Utah Searching For Missing 5-Year-Old Girl

police in Utah searchign for missing 5-year-old

Police in Utah are searching for a missing 5-year-old girl after she was first reported missing Saturday morning. Her 21-year-old uncle, who has been described by police as the "main suspect" in her disappearance, has been taken into custody, police said Monday.

Five-year-old Elizabeth Jessica Shelley was last seen at around 2 a.m. Saturday morning by her mother, Logan City Police Captain Tyson Budge says. The 5-year-old was reported missing about eight hours later.

The girl may have been with her uncle, Alex Whipple, who had come to the family's home for a visit on Friday night and was last seen at around the same time as his niece, police say.

Police caught up with Whipple on Saturday and booked him on a warrant for a probation violation. He was booked into Cache County jail and was being held on a $25,000 bond. Elizabeth was not with him when authorities arrested him and is reportedly being uncooperative with authorities.

Officers with the Logan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted searches for the missing 5-year-old all weekend long, including Monday morning. Authorities said at least 200 law enforcement officers from a dozen agencies were participating in the search for Elizabeth. Residents in the area have been asked to examine their home security systems for any suspicious activity.

"Any residents in the area between 300 South to 100 North and 300 West to 600 West that have video surveillance, including smart doorbells please check your videos and cameras specifically for the hours between 2 a.m. and noon on Saturday, May 25, 2019," Logan police wrote in a Facebook post. "If anything is found, please don’t touch it and call dispatch immediately,"

Logan police urged residents in the area to avoid speculating on the investigation, writing that they could not release all the details related to their investigation into Elizabeth's disappearance.

"We know there are many who want to help and there are some who think they are helping by posting their concern about the perceived lack of details of this investigation," the post reads. "They do not have all the information because we cannot release everything pertinent to this investigation," police added. "There are many agencies in a coordinated effort working around the clock and will continue to work until she is found. We will update Facebook as information becomes available."

Photo: Logan Police Department


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